Hyundai developing rugged, body-on-frame truck

One of the many new models Hyundai has in the pipeline is a brawny, body-on-frame pickup truck aimed at the Toyota Hilux and the Ford Ranger.

The yet-unnamed model is being developed for global markets, though it's too early to tell whether that includes the United States. It'll be an important product in places like Australia and South East Asia where relatively compact pickup trucks are immensely popular.

"The Santa Cruz is a different proposition. We don't have any interest in it, even if it happens at all, and in right-hand drive. We're focusing on proper 4x4 and 4x2 trucks," Scott Grant, the COO of Hyundai's Australian division, told website CarAdvice.

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The Santa Cruz is expected to make its debut before the end of the decade. When it lands, it will occupy the same leisure-oriented niche as the Honda Ridgeline.

The body-on-frame model that Hyundai's Australian division is waiting for won't arrive until after 2020, according to Grant.

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